I am new to this board and thought I posted a complete note on this site an hour ago. I must have hit Preview instead of Submit.

I have been reading this site for almost a year and was struck with the favorable interest in the recent BBC broadcast of CE from St. Thomas, Fifth Avenue.

I signed on and decided to pass this information along if it is not already known by all of you. For the past two months or so St. Thomas has been streaming live Mass and CE for Sundays and Feasts and the two weekly CE's as well.

While I was writing the previous note I listened to the 4pm Lessons and Carols for Advent Sunday as I monitored a room of students at the computers in the Library Annex. It is a complete recording with the organ preludes 10-15 minutes and postlude as well. The introductory comments are made by Fr. Robert Stafford, Pastor, and the Confession and Absolution & Prayer are given by Fr. Andrew Mead, OBE, Rector. You can access the site at

Since his arrival, John Scott has crafted an even more beautiful sound here with the Choir than had Gerre Hancock in his day - and he was top of the line in the US.

Later today I am heading over to another favorite Church - St. Mary the Virgin, W46Street for Solemn Evensong for the Feast of The Immaculate Conception. Bishop Sisk, preaches tonight, and, the Rector, Fr. Steven Gerth, Celebrates and Preaches at the 6pm Solemn High Mass tomorrow.
These late hours allow the 'commuter parish' to assemble and not be constrained by time. What a glorious worship experience it is! The music program at SMV is awesome. Robert McCormick, graduate of Ryder College,NJ(formerly Westminster Choir School) has been Organist and Choir Dtr there for several years now ,and is still in his 20's. He is very capably assisted at the console by Robert McDermitt- equally talented and as young. And what a console - Aeolian Skinner, voiced by G. Donald Harrison, and enhanced since - probably the finest in NYC

The Choir is professional and has about 300 Masses under control. When it became financially impossible for SMV to have theChoir for Evensong, the Rector opted for the Psalms and Canticles being sung to proper Gregorian tones by the congregation; Benediction follows with the hymns and Laudate chanted as well. The prayerfullness of the congregational chanting is captivating. Tonight, SMV will have the Choir for Festal Evensong. You can catch Robt McCormick's very detailed notes on the weekly music at the parish site.

Fr. Gerth, like many others, is struggling under Parish financial problems here and these are reflected sometimes in his weekly column 'The Angelus'. He has done wonders to try and 'grow' the Parish and increase the level of giving, but is still forced to dip into reserves.

I am RC and relish the opportunities presented by these two wonderful Churches to worship with the wider Church Catholic when possible.

Thanks very much for your welcome, Lance, and, the notice about the Edit button. I don't see anything now in front of me as I write, and didn't see one yesterday either - either in the blue boxes under 'Church Music" or in the items below the Subject box.

Small turnout for Evensong last evening chanted except for Choir's Canticles in G by Stanford - one of my favorite settings( I love the Nunc Dimittis - and would love that sung after Communion on my Grand Exit). The Motet following Bishop Sisk was Healy Willan's "Fair in face, but fairer far in thy faith" a Responsory from BVM Office of 8th c. - a first for me - nicely done.

The hymn before the Sermon was 'The Church's One Foundation" - the first hymn sung at Evensong in the parish chuch before it's dedication December 8th 111 years ago, as the Rector mentioned concluding his Welcome. SMV generally prints the choral settings in it's service leaflets so that those of us in the pews can sing the parts. Tonight , the organ will cut out on 2-3 verses of the Lourdes Hymn, and the congregation will fill the Church with harmony. The 'Foundation' is another great favorite of mine and I tried to boom out the bass line, reverting back to melody on the last stanza as Robert took off at the console.

Looking forward to the celebration of Solemn High Mass later today; usually a packed Church.

Thanks again for the "Edit' button location. I must have the Free edition here!, not anywhere in sight; maybe it's a newer format than you veterans have.

Collegium Regale
might have been the first set on Argo that I played over and over. I like it, but I prefer Stanford's textual play - particularlly in the
'A'
. The peaceful resolution with the intial words repeated is just beautifully serene.

Last eveniing SMV had Sheppard's
Missa Cantate
for 6 voices; again beautifully done. McCormick speculates from the Mary Tudor period. Agnus had 2 Gregorian followed by the polyphonic 3rd. I'm not sure if that was just a local adaptation for time constraints. Communion does not start until the Agnus Dei is finished - for the clergy too.

No Lourdes Hymn ! I had the days confused. A rabble rousing
'Ye Who Own the Faith of Jesus'
7vv. sung to 'Daily,Daily' not found in Brit
Praise & Worship
,
Ancient&Modern-Revised, or New Standard
nor '41 and '82
'Hymnal
with this tune, but in a paperback
Supplement
(Episcopal) published in '79 by GIA in and there cited - 'Melody from a French Paroissien', but, thankfully annotated in the Oratory's '97
The Catholic Hymn Book'
as '19century English form of
Maria zu Lieben
, Paderborn
Gesangbuch
, 1765'. It's a wonderful potboiler of a tune withe the refrain 'Hail Mary (3x) full of grace' ,which I remember singing as a kid
'Daily, daily Sing to Mary'
. At SMV, it's a roof-raiser. Organ cut out on v.6 and, while incense was billowing all over the place and built to a thunderous crescendo as we began and sang the last verse. After censing the clergy properly, the thurifer then walks the center aisle with the thurible. btw In spite of yesterday's tune up, a key 'stuck' during the earlier verses of the hymn and it took a few verses to eliminate it; with all the noise - hardly noticed. Not being an organist, I can't tell you which rank/division?

After Communion we sang 'Sing of Mary, Pure and Lowly' and closed with 'Lo, He Comes with clouds descending' to remind us of the season. We chant the Creed; choir does Gregorian Propers(Latin- w/trans in service leaflet). Worship with a capital 'W' -there! We RC's lost all this in the whirlwind of Vatican II. St. Louis Jesuits were nice for a time; this stuff is eternal! B16 is rumored to be restoring Latin Mass, but looking to clamp down on texts sung in the hymns. I hope there is a major OUTCRY if the wonderful English/Anglican treasury is not deemed acceptable. It's Arinze's office, and I can't imagine that Catholic Nigeria is doing any better than the Anglican hymnal there.

Fr. Gerth in his 'Welcome' following the Communion Prayer mentioned that the founding Pastor Thomas McKee Brown only started referring to Solemn Mass in 1881 in the service leaflets at the older church; before that it was called 'High Celebration'. The Episcopal Bishop of NY refused to consecrate the place 1896 - too HIGH- so they brought in the Bishop of Fond du Lac, WI. NY's successor came for the 100th Anniversary along w/ Irish, Scots, Am. Primates & this time Bp of NY. It was separately incorporated as The Free Church of SMV' - I think it had something to do w/banishing pew rents, etc.

The recessional was Widor's
Marche Pontificale,
Opus 13/1. It was so long they they could have emptied the Vatican Council. Nicely done, but not to my taste.

I think you can locate SMV website and savor the weekly offerings described by McCormick. Unfortunately they are not in the $$ position of St. Thomas to 'Stream'. THAT would be a treat!

I enjoyed passing this along and will check the site frequently.

Last edited by jpfsc on Sun Dec 10, 2006 2:26 am; edited 8 times in total

Oh, for proper memory cells - The Primatial collection referred to above were here for the 150 of the Oxford Movement a few years earlier. Fond du Lac(celebrant, I think) and NY were among the Bishpos here for the Centennial.

Oh, for proper memory cells - The Primatial collection referred to above were here for the 150 of the Oxford Movement a few years earlier. Fond du Lac(celebrant, I think) and NY were among the Bishops here for the Centennial.

Oh, for proper memory cells - The Primatial collection referred to above were here for the 150 of the Oxford Movement a few years earlier. Fond du Lac(celebrant, I think) and NY were among the Bishops here for the Centennial.